Letters to the Sports Editor

A selection of readers' missives from a busy week of sport.

SIR – Presumably Northern Rock’s £10million sponsorship of Newcastle using public money includes a private box (boxes). It would be interesting to know if their directors pay for their own season tickets or if they are included in the deal paid for by the taxpayer.

John Henesy Maidenhead, Berks

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Neville paints poor image

SIR – Paul Kelso writes of Sol Campbell’s “image rights”, which are a common clause in many Premiership players’ contracts. One wonders if Gary Neville’s image-rights clause includes the use of provocative hand gestures. The use of which he has demonstrated on several occasions.

Max Funke Churton, Chester

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Going for Burton at last

SIR – All praise the arrival of a rare example of common sense from the FA with the announcement of the National Football Centre in Burton.

Sir Trevor Brooking says there’s a shortage of English talent coming through. Quite right, but it is, at least in part, the fault of the FA for its obsession with building an over-priced and unnecessary Wembley, and not spending much less on developing current and future England teams by getting Burton up and running years ago.

Mike LaugherWindsor, Berks

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Dishonourable Test draw

SIR – Reading your reports after the Tests at Centurion and Newlands, I had to double check the results as I was getting the impression that England had won both. It was claimed in some quarters that South Africa had failed because they did not take 20 wickets and England had earned their honourable draw.

What rubbish. South Africa were a finger-tip from victory and England were a thousand miles from it. When this happens the losers should admit that they were very lucky and just keep quiet. Not crow about it.